The CSIRO has opened a $6.8-million printing facility to produce continuous rolls of flexible solar panels.
The facility, located in Clayton, Victoria, is designed to make the technology available to a range of real world applications, including construction, space, defence, mining, emergency management, disaster relief, and wearables.
CSIRO executive director digital national facilities and collections Elanor Huntington said the cutting-edge CSIRO Printed Photovoltaic (PV) Facility was the newest addition to CSIRO's suite of critical infrastructure that enabled the industries of tomorrow - in this case, a thriving Australian flexible solar manufacturing industry.
"Through CSIRO's new Printed PV Facility, industry partners can access both researcher expertise and specialised equipment to improve and apply flexible solar technology in novel ways, anywhere there is sunlight," Professor Huntington said.
"It's exciting to see the techniques that enabled another great CSIRO invention to now be available to partners in industry to make a difference in Australia and globally.
"This not only offers incredible opportunities for Australian manufacturers, but also contributes to addressing global energy challenges and advancing the transition to net zero."
Leader of CSIRO's renewable energy systems group Anthony Chesman said printed flexible solar was not intended to replace silicon rooftop panels, but rather to complement them.
"This printed solar technology unlocks entirely new applications for affordable, versatile and sustainable energy generation," Dr Chesman said.
CSIRO's innovative solar cells are made using an advanced material called perovskite, which is printed on long continuous rolls of flexible film.
"Our new system is highly automated. The multiple printing and laminating steps are performed in a single continuous operation, which significantly cuts down on production costs and the upfront investment needed to get started," Dr Chesman said.
"Our team has also developed an automated system that can produce as many as 14,000 test solar cells a day to fine-tune their design and performance.
"We're looking for partners who want to join us on the R&D journey and ultimately take this technology to market.
University of Newcastle physicist Paul Dastoor has also created organic printed solar cell technology, which is printed on a ultra-lightweight material, similar in texture and flexibility to a potato chip packet.
To date, the technology has been used in applications including an urban canopy project at Lane Cove and on the roof of an industrial building at Beresfield.
It has also been used to power an electric vehicle in the Charge Around Australia challenge in recent years.
Earlier this year, CSIRO set an efficiency record for its flexible solar technology.
